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​Test prints of bifolia, mock ups, of the opening to Joshua (left) and Psalms (right) from the large format 42 line Gutenberg Bible in English.

. 36 Line Gutenberg Bible in English .​

Our first production will be the 36 line Gutenberg Bible in English in a letter sized format. Compared to typical Bibles, this is BIG. Once we have our deluxe two volume edition printed on textured all cotton paper and bound in a hand crafted period leather binding, we will look to making this work available in a consumer edition, hopefully in one volume, through a print on demand vendor.

Mabel Ramirez and Peter Hebert developed the red and blue lettered calligraphy based on those found in the editions held by the Library of Congress (complete), and Antwerp Belgium Volume I (Old Testament) and Indiana University Volume II (New Testament). They zeroed in on these as models because the book opening letters are bold red and blue puzzle letters. Mabel replicated the required letters for our two volume edition. In addition, she replicated the display letters that open each chapter and the headers. Peter, in turn, produced the pen flourish to finish off the book opening letters.

The 36 line edition was first produced in Bamberg, Germany in about 1460. Only14 of these smaller edition Gutenberg Bibles are known to exist. ​

. 42 Line Gutenberg Bible in English .​

In the future, we will offer an interpretative reproduction of the 42 line Gutenberg Bible in English. This two volume edition features 11” x 17” (27.94 cm by 43.18 cm) sized pages, which means the book when opened is 22” wide by 17” (55.88 cm by 43.18 cm) tall. The book opening and display letters were done by hand to reproduce that old world look - that this is a real Bible - a treasure, an heirloom, an item to be listed in a will. We will announce when we begin production.

Our large format reproduction edition of the 42 line Gutenberg is in English based on the Douay-Rheims translation along with the entire deuterocanoncial texts. Our Gutenberg Bible in English includes all the books in the order in which they appeared in 1454 along with the prologues and prefaces of Jerome, the former bishop of Jerusalem and translator of the Bible into Latin. Like the original, our edition is remarkably close in ratios ... modeling against the Golden Ratio ... the math and science behind the beauty.

Our test prints of the edition of the Gutenberg Bible in English, which is pictured at the top of the page, is modeled on the vellum edition of the Gutenberg Bibles held by the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., the Library of the University of Mons-Hainautin in Mons, Belgium, and the Lilly Library at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana.

. History of the Gutenberg Bible .​

The 42 line Gutenberg Bible was produced in Mainz, Germany between 1452 and 1455 by Johannes Gutenberg, Johann Fust, and Peter Schoeffer. This was a masterpiece of art, because this bible was modeled on manuscript bibles. This was the first significant work printed in Europe using moveable metal type and the printing press. Gutenberg and his team produced 47 upper case and 243 lower case letters for the moveable type. Approximately 180 copies in large format were printed in multiple volumes. Two types were printed. One was on vellum to rival the manuscripts of the day, and were in three volumes. The other was printed on paper and came in two volumes. Once folios were printed, gatherings were assembled. An unbound collection was sold. The customer then hired an artist to have the book and chapter opening letters - and as budget permitted, illustrations - added to the printed pages. As a result of this method, no two Gutenberg Bibles are alike. Each one is a work of art and a testament to Gutenberg’s anticipation of customer expectations. The customers were the king of France, noblemen, clergy, and members of the affluent merchant class. The estimated cost to purchase one of Gutenberg’s bibles when it came off the price was equivalent to a house in town, in Mainz, Germany.

By comparison with the cost to produce a manuscript bible given at least three years of work, the original Gutenberg Bible was relatively affordable - the cost of an in-town house. Today, a Gutenberg Bible is priceless, because of what it represents.

The translation was the Latin vulgate based on Jerome’s translation used by the Roman Catholic Church across Europe for over one thousand years. The script for the text was in a form of black letter known as Gothic textualis that perfectly mimicked the manuscripts of the day. When Fust went to Paris to show pages of the Gutenberg Bible to manuscript scribes, he was accused of witchcraft given that the text of the pages was perfect though not done by hand.​In a letter dated March 12, 1455 by Aeneas Silvius Piccolomini, who later became Pope Pius II, to Cardinal Juan de Carvajal, Piccolomini wrote regarding the Gutenberg Bible, "Nothing has been exaggerated about that amazing man near Frankfurt. I have not seen complete copies of his Bible, but I did see quires of various parts of the text, in very fine and proper letters which Your Honor could read without any trouble and without using your glasses. ... I shall try to buy a volume for you but I fear this will not be possible, not only because of the distance, but because copies are sold even before they are completed."

Gutenberg partnered with Fust the financier, and they apprenticed Schöffer. When Fust sued for repayment of the loans, Gutenberg lost control of the press due to the debt associated with getting the business operational. Both Fust and Schöffer continued in the new book printing business, which transformed European culture. Today, the Gutenberg Bible is considered the most beautiful and valuable book in the world. Only 48 copies remain. Of these 21 are complete and in perfect condition. Three entire vellum editions exist in the Bibliothèque nationale de France in Paris, the British Library in London, and the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. Learn more about the surviving editions. The Library of Congress has one of the three perfect copies of the Gutenberg Bible. Listen to a podcast on the Gutenberg Bible. Listen to an interview with Kristian Jensen on the Gutenberg Bible.

The Gutenberg Bible includes the books that Jerome considered apocryphal. Years after this edition of the Latin Vulgate was published, Pope Clement VIII moved some of the books to the appendix. In the Gutenberg Bible, the Prayer of Manasses appears after the Books of Chronicles, and third and fourth Esdras comes after second Esdras, which is now called Nehemiah. Also, the Prayer of Solomon follows Ecclesiasticus. Moreover, the Song of the Three Children appears at Daniel 3:23, the Story of Susanna is chapter 13, and Bel and the Dragon is chapter 14. The additions to Esther appear at the end of Esther. Since this is a pre Reformation Bible, there are no verse numbers. All chapters are indicated in Roman numerals.